The Saudis Speak!
I kept checking Arab News today to see what the Saudi line would be. Finally, late this evening (early morning there) “the Kingdom” spoke. I have to say I find the language a bit surprising.
The statement contained the usual support for the right of the Palestinians and Lebanese to use whatever means available to resist occupation.
An official source said Saudi Arabia has always been an avid believer in the rights of nations subjected to occupation to resist it in all its shapes and forms, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The nation has the right to reject the occupation’s illegal procedures that aim at erasing a nation’s identity and altering ground realities.
This has been the basis of the Kingdom’s stand with regard to the legal Palestinian resistance to military occupation. This has also been the Kingdom’s firm stand with the Lebanese resistance until the end of the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.
Of course, the Israelis had withdrawn from Lebanon and are only there now because of the Hezbollah attacks. From the Saudi perspective, of course, Palestine remains under Israeli occupation.
Nevertheless, the bulk of the Saudi statement took a very different tone.
The source added that the Kingdom wanted to clearly state that there must be a differentiation between legal resistance and unaccountable adventures committed by elements within a state without referring to a legal state authority, or consulting and coordinating with Arab countries. Their actions thus expose all Arab countries to grave danger and their achievements to destruction, SPA quoted the source as saying.
The Kingdom sees that the time has come for these elements to solely bear the full responsibility for such irresponsible actions and the task of ending the crisis, that they have triggered, should fall singularly on them.
What are the Saudis saying? Several things. First, whatever the rights of the Palestinians, the Saudis view the recent course of events as a collection of “unaccountable adventures” undertaken not by states, but by elements within them, namely Hamas and Hezbollah. The Saudis are also complaining loudly and publicly about the lack of consultation and coordination by both groups with the “Arab countries.” In other words, the consultation and control has been coming from Iran. The Saudis do not appreciate the fact that they, and the other Arab states (excepting Syria), find themselves in a bind because of a rapidly expanding regional crisis now managed from Tehran. I read the statement as a warning to Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria that because of their “irresponsible actions” they are on their own.
I would not go as far as to say that the Kingdom is giving Israel a green light. If the Israelis strike too hard, too fast, the political pressure on Saudi Arabia and the other Arab states might grow too strong to ignore. Nevertheless, the Saudis are clearly warning Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, as well as Iran that they ought not to bank on Saudi support if the crisis continues and that they ought not to expect, if it worsens, that the Saudis will automatically play their “oil card” as a means to pressure the United States.
This is good news because it means that the Saudis are taking a step to bring the crisis under some form of control. Nevertheless, it does not mean that they will succeed. The next few days will demonstrate how much clout the Kingdom possesses. There’s no way the Saudis can bring Hezbollah into line, or Tehran, but they have much greater sway with Hamas and Syria. The latter can shut down Hezbollah if it wants to.
